NHL Positive Despite Dip in Ratings

June 9, 2012

AP Photo

The front office of the NHL might have been almost as disappointed as NBC, fans at the Belmont Stakes and the owners of I’ll Have Another.

The prospect of a Triple Crown race — and its huge ratings implications — evaporated when I’ll Have Another was scratched from the Belmont on Friday. It might have made for the largest audience lead-in for NBC’s other big property Saturday night: Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final.

“I’m disappointed for them,” said John Collins, the NHL’s chief operating officer. “It was a great story: Triple Crown is always fun. Brings a lot of new eyeballs.”